CIEE College Study Abroad in Monteverde, Costa Rica

From someone who had never traveled alone, it was my one goal in college to travel abroad at least once. When choosing a destination, I was only focused on being somewhat close to a beach, and being surrounded by nature. I am so grateful that I picked Monteverde, Costa Rica for my destination. During my stay, I was completely immersed in the beautiful biodiversity of the country, and always felt safe. This location is special because the housing is on campus, food is provided as well as cleaning and laundry. There is truly nothing to complain about. I stayed for a total of 18 weeks and never had any problems with the program! I was able to visit the beach multiple times, one paid excursion and one special trip I took with friends! I was constantly learning about relevant topics such as climate change and agriculture. My favorite class was Global Change and the Environment, taught by Mariano Soley. This class gave me so much important knowledge about current topics and learning skills that will truly last me a lifetime. I also got to participate in a weekend - long homestay and a service learning project. The homestay was completely immersive and a good experience - although it was very different from life on campus as that is a little more secluded from the culture of the country. It wasn't my favorite experience because I don't think I was very prepared to be in a completely immersive situation. The service learning project was such a good opportunity to help the local community while gaining helpful and relevant skills. I worked with a local bio reserve and helped them by painting signs for their property, helping in the tree nursery, and even conducted measurements of the trees on the property for their progress reports. I loved my time there and it helped me put new skills on my resume as well! There were also multiple paid excursions that I was so grateful to go on!

Overall, this program allowed me to be more confident, traveled and experienced! I would recommend this to anyone who loves nature, and wants to experience a smaller - knit community.

I had the best experience and made the best friends. My biggest piece of advice is to go in with no expectations, and to keep an open mind. There is going to be new food, a new culture, new people and plenty of other things you may not be used to. If you're open to what the trip has to offer, you are going to have the most unforgettable experience. The CIEE staff is amazing, and I felt so safe during my entire trip to Monteverde, Costa Rica. I only did the J-term session, and wish I had stayed for longer. I took Sustainable Development in the Tropics, and actually learned so much in only 3 weeks. Could not have better things to say!

I had an amazing experience studying abroad at CIEE Monteverde. The staff was extremely friendly, and I had a great time getting to know everyone on campus. They were also very accommodating and helpful if students needed anything, as well as provided information about fun activities to do around campus through newsletters and announcements. The campus was also extremely beautiful and there were an endless amount of things to do, such as hiking, checking out the coffee plantation, and more. I would highly recommend this campus to students who are looking to study abroad.

My experience in Monteverde with CIEE was amazing. I had no idea what to expect going into the program and it definitely succeeded my expectations. I got to learn a new language, be apart of such a unique culture and community, and make long lasting friends. After staying here for almost three months, I was so comfortable here that I didn’t want to go back to the states, to reality. This really was such a surreal experience for me and I will definitely never forget. I am definitely coming out of this experience as a new person.

CIEE Monteverde was a fantastic study abroad experience. Costa Rica is one of the best places to study sustainability and the environment, which is what my program was focused on. Throughout my six weeks, I was able to learn about current environmental problems on a global and local scale and spend time on field trips learning from Costa Ricans who run local sustainable farms, wastewater treatment facilities, and more. The CIEE Monteverde campus is beautiful and spacious with great food and housing, located in the Monteverde Cloud Forest region, and fostered community between the other college students in my program, as well as the staff. The program paid for many excursions, like trips to El Tigre Waterfalls and Herradura Beach, and there was still plenty of opportunity for us to take our own trips as students. Monteverde is also home to plenty of amazing zip lines, protected rainforests for hiking, night tours, a butterfly garden, a sloth sanctuary, and more.

Loved this study abroad and would definitely recommend to future students! The campus is 30 minutes from town with short hiking trails and an on-campus environmentally-conscious farm. The local town is super cute with lots to do, including ziplining, hiking, swimming, butterfly garden, night hikes, etc. The CIEE Staff are super helpful in helping you plan all of these activities, as well as weekend trips away to Tamarindo(the beach) and Arenal(the volcano). The temperature is lovely at 75 degrees F. The nature locally is SO cool with a wide variety of animals, plants, microclimates, and weather conditions. There's also a farm nearby with a river for swimming and pizza, which was so clutch. CIEE also plans outings to local waterfalls and beaches which is fun. the people are awesome.

I took Sustainable Development of the Tropics while at CIEE for January. I think it was possibly my favorite class I have ever taken. The professor was awesome. He was super interested and well versed in the subject, which made him super engaging. The format of the class was awesome, we had lectures and then would go to various locations that illustrated what we had learned (about sustainable agriculture and energy sources). We also got to experience some of the different kinds of tourism, which was one of our units in class.

I cannot stress how much fun the January term in Monteverde was! The community of CIEE Monteverde was incredible and all of the staff were helpful and nice. They learn every single student's name and by the end of it, your class, along with the instructor and TA, become a group of your closest friends. I am leaving this program with so many new friends from around the country and with so many memories of fun adventures and excursions that we took. This was the most interesting class I've taken!